Polk Career Academies

04/02/2026

🌟 Celebrating an Outstanding Future Leader! 🌟

We love celebrating our amazing PCPS volunteers, and today was extra special! 💙 We honored our school‑level Volunteers of the Year for 2025–26 and announced our district‑wide winners. These incredible individuals make a meaningful difference for our students every single day.

✨ Spotlight on our Elementary Youth Volunteer of the Year! ✨
🎉 Congratulations to Bartow Future Educators Academy President, Ryleigh Waltz from Bartow Elementary Academy! 🎉

As an academy student, Ryleigh has faithfully completed her field hours at Bartow Elementary Academy for the past four years. Her dedication, strong work ethic, and commitment to service have left a lasting impact on both students and staff. We are so proud of Ryleigh and excited to watch this future leader continue to shine! 🌟📚

👏 We also celebrate our outstanding district winners:
• Payvelle Pringle‑Gaines (Chain of Lakes Elementary – Elementary Adult)
• Lynn Daniels (Dundee Elementary Academy – Elementary Senior)
• Marylou Teodoro Lopez (Mulberry High – Secondary Youth)
• Dr. Khanh Pham (IB Bartow Senior – Secondary Adult)
• Gwendolyn Diaz (Lakeland High – Secondary Senior)

💙 A huge thank you to our generous sponsors: Chick-fil-A Bartow, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, title sponsor MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, and Orlando Health!

🎤 Special shoutout to guest speaker Desmond Clark and the Union Academy Bluegrass Band for helping make this event unforgettable!

👏 Congratulations to all our honorees!
🤝 Want to make a difference and become a PCPS volunteer? Visit polkschoolsfl.com/getinvolved

03/30/2026

Important Reminder for PCPS Families!

If you have a pending school choice offer for the 2026-27 school year (Magnet/Choice Schools, Career Academies, or IB/Cambridge), don’t wait!

To secure your child’s seat, you must complete two important steps:

1. Accept the offer in the Parent Portal
2. Submit two proofs of residence to the school you accepted

Deadline: Monday, April 6 by the end of the school day.

For questions:

• Magnet/Choice Schools: 863-534-0631 ext. 788
• Career Academies: 863-519-8438 ext. 819
• IB & Cambridge: 863-413-2837 ext. 495 or 496

Need help accepting or declining your offer in Parent Portal?

Click here: https://tinyurl.com/4zrx2u3j

Please share this with other PCPS families who need the reminder!

This is a reminder for PCPS families who have pending school choice offers for magnet/choice schools, career academies, and IB/Cambridge for the 2026-27 school year.

Please remember that to secure your child’s school choice offer, you must accept the seat in Parent Portal, as well as provide two proofs of residence to the school of acceptance.

These steps must be completed no later than Monday, April 6, by the end of the school day.

For more information about PCPS magnet/choice schools, please call 863-534-0631 ext. 788. For questions about career academies, please call 863-519-8438 ext. 819. IB and Cambridge questions should be directed to 863-413-2837 ext. 495 or 496.

For instructions on how to accept or decline school choice invitations through Parent Portal, please see this link: https://tinyurl.com/4zrx2u3j.

Office of Acceleration and Innovation - Magnet/Choice Schools
Polk Career Academies

03/24/2026

✨ Polk County Schools Shine at the 2026 STN Convention ✨

Polk County students earned national recognition at the 2026 Student Television Network Convention, bringing home top honors across multiple media categories. 🎥🎙️

Jewett Middle Academy Magnet received a Gold designation for Broadcast Excellence 🏆— one of only three middle schools nationwide to earn this honor. Their award‑winning news show, created in partnership with Keep Polk County Beautiful and Polk County Solid Waste, is now featured on STN’s official website.

Davenport High School earned an Outstanding Achievement Award for their Daily Taped News Show 📺, and Ridge Community High School received an Award of Distinguished Merit for their outstanding podcast work 🎧.

Schools that participated:

• ⭐Kathleen High School
• ⭐Davenport High School
• ⭐Jewett School of the Arts
• ⭐Ridge Community High School
• ⭐George W. Jenkins High School

Congratulations to our talented students and the educators who support them! 🙌📚

03/12/2026

PCPS will send out school choice acceptances on Monday, March 23, the day we return from spring break.

These are acceptance notices for magnet/choice schools, career academies, and IB/Cambridge for the 2026-27 school year.

If your child is accepted, you will receive an email with further instructions, as well as an alert in Parent Portal. If your application is not accepted, you will see a waitlist status in Parent Portal. See this link for details: https://tinyurl.com/4yse5zmr

Please note that families will not be able to accept or decline invitations until all notices have been sent out, possibly the evening of March 23.

Acceptances (for magnet/choice and career academies) are based on a lottery system. We will continue to process applications until all spots are filled for the 2026-27 school year.

For more information about PCPS magnet/choice schools, please call 863-534-0631 ext. 788. For questions about career academies, please call 863-519-8438 ext. 819. High school IB and Cambridge questions should be directed to 863-413-2837 ext. 495.

PCPS will also conduct Controlled Open Enrollment (COE) from Monday, April 6, through Friday, May 8.

COE is a statewide program that allows you to apply to any public school (excluding magnet schools) that still has seats open for next year.

Applications must be submitted online through Parent Portal. For more information, please visit polkschoolsfl.com/transfer or call our Pupil Accounting department at 863-519-7600 (option 1).

Office of Acceleration and Innovation - Magnet/Choice Schools
Polk Career Academies

03/10/2026

🚀 Students! Want a Paid Summer Internship?

The PCPS Summer Internship Program is now open and accepting applications! This is your chance to build real experience, explore careers, and get paid this summer.

Program Details:
✔️ Open to students age 16 or older by June 1
✔️ Paid internship
✔️ Up to 20 hours per week
✔️ Runs during the month of June
✔️ Must have reliable transportation
✔️ Must be in a CTE (Career Academy) Program
✔️ Hands‑on experience in real workplaces across Polk County

Just scan the QR code on the flyer or click the link to apply. Don’t wait — the deadline is coming up soon!

✨ Build skills
✨ Get paid
✨ Prepare for your future

Apply today and take the next step toward your goals!

03/07/2026

🌟 Internship Spotlight: Jose at BayCare Urgent Care! 🌟

Last summer, Jose gained hands‑on experience at BayCare Urgent Care, where Jose explored the healthcare field in a real clinical environment. Jose assisted with patient testing, learned about health insurance processes, and discovered how a healthcare team operates behind the scenes.

Through this internship, Jose confirmed a passion for healthcare and strengthened future career goals. Jose shared that the experience deepened understanding of the field and provided the motivation to keep pursuing meaningful work.

💬 “Internships are an excellent way to explore and confirm your interest in a profession, and I am grateful to have discovered my passion for healthcare through this opportunity.” – Jose, PCPS Student

👏 We are proud of Jose, and grateful for partners like BayCare Urgent Care who help build the future workforce in our community.

🌐 Interested in Hosting a Summer Intern?

We are currently seeking businesses interested in hosting a high school intern for the month of June. Internships through PCPS are paid by the district, with students working 20 hours or less each week. All students are fully covered under district insurance and workers’ comp, so there is no cost or liability to your business.

Our internships are unique and often unconventional. We work with businesses to design placements that fit your environment, your workflow, and a student’s career interests. There are many creative ways a student can contribute to your organization.

If your business would like to discuss hosting an intern this summer, please contact our Program Manager, Samantha Linder, at [email protected]. We would love to partner with you!

03/06/2026

Good morning,

We just sent the following information to all Floral Avenue Elementary families via phone call and email. Posting it here to help amplify the message:

This message is being sent on behalf of Floral Avenue Elementary. All students and staff are safe. We have been informed that due to a traffic accident in the area, power is going to be turned off, which means the Floral Avenue campus will not have electricity.

Since we do not know how long it will take power to be restored, we are relocating Floral Avenue students to the BARTOW HIGH SCHOOL gymnasium, and we are asking all parents, guardians and family members to come pick up your children if possible.

Please proceed to Jackson Avenue and Georgia Street where deputies will direct you. Please stay in your vehicle.

Again, it would be best if students can be picked up by parents and guardians at the BARTOW HIGH SCHOOL gym to ensure their comfort. Please know that we will continue to protect and care for all students at Bartow High until they are reunited with parents and guardians. There is no rush, please be safe while traveling.

Bartow Senior High School
Polk County Sheriff's Office

03/06/2026

Family Engagement Conferences are coming up in March and April. All families are welcome to attend these free sessions.

Register at polktogether.com/familyengagementconferences

03/05/2026

🎉 Big News from Polk County! 🎉

Help us congratulate London Johnson from Ridge Community High School on an incredible achievement!

London, a Photoshop Certified student and Senior Informative Media Line Producer for Strike Studios, was selected as a Pre‑Show Correspondent for the 2026 STN National Convention. This national honor is earned through a competitive audition process, and London rose to the top among media students from across the country.

Only three students in Florida were selected, and London was the only student representing Polk County. We are so proud of her talent, leadership, and dedication.

The Student Television Network (STN) convention wrapped up this week in Tampa and included workshops, hands‑on sessions, and on‑site competitions. One of the highlights each year is the Excellence Awards, which is the culmination of competitions STN hosts throughout the year. The Excellence Awards ceremony was held on Sunday night. Before the ceremony, STN aired its official Pre‑Show, and London served as one of the correspondents for that broadcast. The convention concluded on Wednesday.

This year, Polk County had five schools represented at the convention:
⭐ Ridge Community High School
⭐ Davenport High School
⭐ George W. Jenkins High School
⭐ Kathleen High School
⭐ Jewett School of the Arts

👏 Congratulations, London, and great job to the entire Strike Studios team for showcasing the amazing work happening in our schools. Polk County is cheering you on! 🌟📺